Video Daily Digest: Open The Cages!

When you think of good stuff decks in Modern it's Jund and Abzan that come to mind. Disruptive midrange decks with only the most efficient threats, but capitalizing on individual power level can be done in an aggro or control shell as well. It's the former I'm covering today in the form of a four-color aggro deck that has nothing but the best creatures and removal.

At the one slot, Noble Hierarch and Wild Nacatl. Two of the best one drops of all time, they get the party started better than anything else while also being relevant plays well into the mid-game since they help you win combat.

Next up, Voice of Resurgence and Tarmogoyf. Voice may not attack as hard, but it's great against removal and counterspells, which any aggressive deck will appreciate. In the three-slot, Knight of the Reliquary, which doesn't do as much activating as it does in other decks, but with the high fetchland count it gets really big really fast. Next to it is Modern newcomer Spell Queller, which gives the deck some much needed disruption. Remember, aggro decks don't need to be blindly aggressive.

Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, and Path to Exile ensure that you can remove blockers of all shapes and sizes or send some damage upstairs in a race. All are Modern staples and unsurprising here. Bant Charm is the odd one, but it's a nice bit of versatility for a deck that can support it.

I particularly like how the sideboard has plenty of counterspells so you can swap your removal out against combo and control decks, effectively morphing in to an aggro-control deck when appropriate. This is an aggro deck that isn't lacking in flexibility--an important attribute for Modern.

One last note: take your time when thinking about which lands to fetch. There are several two land combinations that hit all of your colors, but you need the right combinations to cast Lightning Helix, Spell Queller, Knight of the Reliquary, and Bant Charm. A mis-used fetchland can either lead to you taking unnecessary damage later or not being able to cast your spells.

Aggro decks are often thought of as underpowered, but Modern has enough quality creatures to fill out your curve and the mana fixing to play only the most powerful options. Playing the best individual cards helps you play through disruption more easily and gives you more powerful topdecks, and this deck has enough disruption of its own to break-up the synergy-laden decks in the metagame.

About Ross Merriam

Ross has been playing competitive Magic for over ten years and has been a fixture on the SCG Tour® since 2012. With a highly analytical approach, he stresses playing fundamentally sound Magic with a preference toward proactive strategies. Always ready and willing to teach, his quest to achieve competitive success will help guide your own path to improvement.